87% of respondents trained their managers to “manage change,” but only (a dismal) 22% felt the training was actually effective.

68% of senior managers said they’re “getting the message” about reasons for major organisational changes, but that figure falls to 53% for middle managers and 40% for front-line supervisors.”

The figures aren’t encouraging, but neither are they surprising. Too often, all the energy goes into the project management aspects of the change initiative – the bit that’s readily measurable and quantifiable.

But it isn’t a lack of project management skills that cause change initiatives to fail. It’s a lack of change management skills. In other words, a lack of focus on the key factor in whether an initiative sticks or not: people.

Prosci’s ADKAR model is a research-based, individual change model that represents the five milestones an individual must achieve in order to change successfully.

A – every employee must be AWARE of the need for change

D – every employee must have the DESIRE to support the change

K – every employee must have the KNOWLEDGE of how to change

A – Every employee must have the ABILITY to demonstrate the new skills and behaviours the change will require

R – There must be constant REINFORCEMENT of the new behaviours to ensure they stick

Notice the emphasis: it’s all about the people. However good the product is; however smart the project managers are; however important the change is strategically; however much the senior leadership want the change to succeed… without getting all employees on board, success is highly unlikely.

Steve Short – Emenex

Your Team Will Only Be as Loyal to You as You Are to Them

Make your people your top priority.

Loyalty is still alive and not for sale. Loyalty, like trust, is easy to tear down and priceless to build up and maintain, writes Angela Kambouris for Entrepreneur Europe.

True loyalty is never based on lavish perks or fear-driven and based on a threat that something will be taken away or replaced.

Employee loyalty is nurtured through creating a more human-centered workplace culture. Culture exists in every workplace whether it is by design or default. Gallup has shown us time and time again that an improved work culture increases employee engagement and productivity and aligns an employee’s goals with an employer’s mission. A strong culture isn’t just about fun and games and wacky perks. People want to be proud of the organization they work for. They want to feel a sense of achievement and deep fulfilment.

With further references to Deloitte, here are her strategies that will help employees feel valued and invested in, and where both business and people flourish.

Learn How to Cultivate a Culture of Trust in the AI Era

Workers worry about what AI will do to their jobs — and with good reason. Experts believe AI will replace 800 million jobs over the next 13 years, and 73% of workers in the U.S. say an increased use of AI will eliminate more jobs than it creates. In fact, 23% of U.S. workers tell Gallup they’re “very worried” or “somewhat worried” they might lose their own job to new technology.

Clearly, say Gallup, this sentiment poses a challenge to companies looking to engage their workforce over the course of their digital and, subsequently, AI transformation journey. With these highlights below you can read their article in full here:

Successful AI implementation requires a rush into an uncertain future

Leaders must align everyone’s long-term interests

Doing things right is as important as not doing things wrong

What Companies Need to Know About Gen Z Employees

HR and their newly formed “People Teams” are having their moment and rightly so—they are the key to the most important brand ambassadors any company can have: its employees. This is where effective and meaningful employee engagement comes in. And now, there’s a new generation entering the workforce. They’re the frontlines of Gen Z (those born between 1995 and 2010) and mark the dawn of a new breed of workers. They deeply care about purpose, impact, and getting stuff done.